The present invention relates to the field of vehicle signaling systems; particularly, to a device for conveniently and independently activating and deactivating vehicle headlights and taillights to signal other vehicles, regardless of whether the headlights or taillights are presently illuminated.
Due to the nature of their design, certain vehicles, particularly trucks, are inherently relatively large, long, heavy, slow to accelerate and decelerate, and give their operator limited fields of visibility, especially to the rear. As a result, a persistent problem exists in the operation of trucks upon the roadways, particularly on highways. When a truck overtakes and passes another vehicle, particularly another truck, it is difficult for the passing truck operator, who generally must rely only on his or her rear view mirrors, to accurately gauge when the operator""s truck has fully passed the vehicle that it has overtaken. Such a determination is critical to deciding when it is safe to pull back into the rightwards lane in front of the overtaken vehicle. Errors made in this determination are literally life threatening.
To cope with this problem, an informal system has developed among truck drivers to signal each other when it is safe to pull back into the rightward lane in front of an overtaken vehicle. The driver of the overtaken vehicle carefully observes the progress of the passing truck and notes when it has passed his or her own vehicle with a safe margin of distance for the overtaking truck to return to the rightward lane. The driver then flashes his or her lights a few times, so that the driver of the overtaking truck, seeing the flash in his or her rear view mirrors, will know that it is safe to pull back in front of the overtaken vehicle. The driver of the overtaking vehicle then flashes his or her lights, both to acknowledge the safe passing signal and to express a xe2x80x9cthank youxe2x80x9d for the courtesy shown by the overtaken driver. A driver on essentially any highway can see this ritual repeated hundreds of times in a single evening.
This informal system, while widely used, is not free from drawbacks that are both inconvenient and potentially dangerous. In the daytime, it is necessary for both the overtaken and overtaking vehicles to first energize their vehicles lighting system, before being able to perform the signaling steps. This extra step is another demand on the driver""s attention, which may cause accidents. If the driver chooses to turn off his or her lighting system, after a daytime signal, yet another possibly attention diverting maneuver is required. If a driver leaves the lighting system energized in the daytime after a signal, extra operating time is placed on the light bulbs, additional energy is consumed thereby reducing fuel economy, and the vehicle batteries may be drained if the vehicle is shut down without turning off the lighting system.
At night, another complication is present. Since the traditional lighting system control activates both the headlights and taillights at the same time, and often the running lights, the driver flashing his or her lights must turn on and off both the front headlights and rear taillights of the vehicle, even though the signaling maneuver requires that only the headlights or taillights be flashed. For example, the overtaken vehicle, needing only to flash its headlights, must turn on and off its taillights also. This can cause the overtaken vehicle to appear to temporarily disappear, on a dark roadway, to other vehicles behind it, as for a period of time the vehicle is traveling with no lights on. Other drivers may be startled by the sudden apparent disappearance of a large truck in front of them. Similarly, the overtaking truck, needing only to flash its taillights to acknowledge and thank the overtaken driver, must of necessity flash its headlights as well. The sudden loss of forward illumination can cause the driver of the overtaking truck to momentarily lose sight of the roadway, and any objects upon it, which can be extremely dangerous. The sudden flashing of headlights can also alarm drivers in an opposing flow of traffic.
Both the interruption of the taillights of the overtaken vehicle and the interruption of the headlights of the overtaking vehicle are entirely unnecessary to the signaling ritual, and are necessitated solely by the traditional wiring of vehicle lighting systems.
Alternatives for signaling are used but possess serious drawbacks. Horn signals may be difficult to hear, may startle other drivers in close proximity, and create adverse unnecessary noise. Citizens band radios, which are not universally carried in all vehicles, may be used, but reception and transmission can be problematic depending on various factors, including weather conditions and others"" use of the potentially crowded airwaves.
What continues to be needed but is missing from the field of vehicle signaling systems is a device that improves transportation safety by allowing a driver to conveniently signal other drivers utilizing activating and deactivating headlights and taillights independently of other vehicle lighting. Further, the device must be easy to incorporate as either an original equipment manufacturer lighting system or as an aftermarket retrofit device, and must be easy to fabricate to ensure that it is economical. While some of the prior art devices attempted to improve various aspects of the state of the art of vehicle lighting systems, none has achieved the cost optimized capability of the present invention, which is easy to fabricate and convenient to use. With these capabilities taken into consideration, the instant invention addresses many of the shortcomings of the prior art and offers significant benefits heretofore unavailable.
In its most general configuration, the present invention advances the state of the art with a variety of new capabilities and overcomes many of the shortcomings of prior devices in new and novel ways. In its most general sense, the present invention overcomes the shortcomings and limitations of the prior art in any of a number of generally effective configurations.
A primary objective of the present invention is to allow selective, and independent, illumination of a vehicle""s headlight system, including at least one set of headlights, and a vehicle""s taillight system, including at least one set of taillights and optional running lights, regardless of whether the headlight and taillight systems are illuminated. The vehicle signaling system of the present invention may be applied to existing vehicles in a retrofit type of installation, or may be incorporated into the design and manufacture of new vehicles. Similarly, it may be incorporated into trailer lighting systems including, but not limited to, camper trailers, boat trailers, livestock trailers, and equipment trailers.
The selective, and independent, illumination allows an overtaking vehicle and an overtaken vehicle to conveniently and safely signal each other by activating and deactivating the headlight system and the taillight system. The present invention may connect into a vehicle""s power source, a vehicle grounding system, a headlight system actuation means, and a taillight system actuation means. Such connections may be easily incorporated into existing vehicles.
In one of the many preferable configurations, the vehicle signaling system incorporates, among other elements, a means for intermittently and independently activating and deactivating the headlight system and the taillight system, a means for continuously activating and deactivating the headlight system and the taillight system, a means for obtaining power from the vehicle power system, an electrical circuit means for controlling the headlight system and the taillight system by electrically connecting the intermittent activation and deactivation means, the continuous activation and deactivation means, and the power attaining means, and a means for electrically interfacing the electrical circuit controlling means to the headlight system and the taillight system.
In one particular embodiment, the means for intermittently and independently activating and deactivating the headlight and taillight system may incorporate a two position non-locking switch having a headlight system flash position, a flash OFF position, and a taillight system flash position. Simply moving the switch from the flash OFF position to the headlight system flash position and holding the switch, then letting it return to the flash OFF position will flash the headlight system whether or not the headlight system is presently illuminated, and without having any effect on the illumination of the taillight system. For example, at night when the headlight system and taillight system are illuminated, such action will de-energize the headlights when the switch is held in the headlight system flash position, yet the taillight system will remain illuminated and unaffected by the action. Likewise, during the daytime, movement of the switch to the headlight system flash position results in the intermittent illumination of the headlight system, again without affecting the taillight system.
Alternatively, simply moving the switch from the flash OFF position to the taillight system flash position and holding the switch, then letting it return to the flash OFF position, will flash the taillight system whether or not the taillight system is presently illuminated, and without having any effect on the illumination of the headlight system. For example, at night when the headlight system and taillight system are illuminated, such action will de-energize the taillight system when the switch is held in the taillight system flash position, yet the headlight system will remain illuminated and unaffected by the action. Likewise, during the daytime, movement of the switch to the taillight system flash position results in the intermittent illumination of the taillight system, again without affecting the headlight system.
An additional variation of the present invention includes an auxiliary means for intermittently and independently activating and deactivating the headlight system and the taillight system. The auxiliary means for intermittently and independently activating and deactivating the headlight and taillight system may incorporate a two position non-locking switch having a headlight system flash position, a flash OFF position, and a taillight system flash position. The auxiliary means for intermittently and independently activating and deactivating the headlight and taillight system would operate identically to the means for intermittently and independently activating and deactivating the headlight and taillight system. The auxiliary means may be mounted away from the means for intermittently and independently activating and deactivating the headlight and taillight system and in virtually any location in the vehicle compartment. In one specific embodiment the auxiliary means may be mounted on the gear shift. Alternatively, the auxiliary means may be incorporated into the steering wheel.
In a further embodiment, the continuous activation and deactivation means may incorporate a two-position locking switch having a headlight system and taillight system ON position, a lighting OFF position, and a taillight system ON position. Generally, in the evening the switch would be in the headlight system and taillight system ON position thereby illuminating the headlight system and the taillight system. Alternatively, the switch may be located in the taillight system ON position thereby illuminating only the taillight system. An alternative embodiment may utilize a vehicle""s original equipment lighting controls in lieu of a separate continuous activation and deactivation means.
The vehicle signaling system also includes a means for obtaining power from the vehicle power system. The power obtaining means may include numerous variations. It may simply electrically connect the vehicles power system to the vehicle signaling system, or may include numerous other electrical devices such as voltage regulators, fuses, capacitors, and resistors. The power obtaining means may include provisions for connecting the vehicle common ground to the vehicle signaling system.
The electrical circuit controlling means accepts inputs from the means for intermittently and independently activating and deactivating the headlight system and the taillight system and the means for continuously activating and deactivating the headlight system and the taillight system and provides outputs to the means for electrically interfacing the electrical circuit controlling means to the headlight system and the taillight system. The electrical circuit controlling means may be constructed with analog or digital devices. In one particular embodiment the electrical circuit controlling means incorporates an integrated circuit, a headlight system current amplification device, and a taillight system current amplification device.
In the specific embodiment utilizing an integrated circuit (IC), the IC may be a standard off the shelf IC that one with skill in the art can select. For example, but not limitation, a standard IC available from Radio Shack(copyright) identified as the 74AC86P IC may be used to perform the required functions. Additionally, embodiments utilizing this IC incorporate a means of obtaining a 5V DC power supply. This may be accomplished utilizing a voltage regulator to reduce the vehicle""s power supply, typically 12V DC, to the desired 5V DC. Later, the 5V DC output must activate the 12V DC headlight system and taillight system. Often, to accomplish this activation of the headlight system and taillight system current amplification devices are required. Such current amplification devices may often incorporate a resistor and a transistor. The amplified current may then be used to activate the electrical interfacing means.
The electrical interfacing means accepts the control signal from the electrical circuit controlling means and activates and deactivates the headlight system and the taillight system. One of many possible embodiments incorporates a headlight secondary relay and a taillight secondary relay. The headlight secondary relay and the taillight secondary relay may include respective headlight secondary relay coil, taillight secondary relay coil, headlight secondary relay contact, and headlight secondary relay contact.
These variations, modifications, alternatives, and alterations of the various preferred embodiments, arrangements, and configurations may be used alone or in combination with one another as will become more readily apparent to those with skill in the art with reference to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying figures and drawings.